MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 8, 2022

Mike Bradbury

Shaiquel McGruder

Thomas & Mack Center

New Mexico Lobos

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado State - 82, New Mexico - 71

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student-athletes.

MIKE BRADBURY: Yeah. When you get in the one-and-done situation, we picked a bad day to have a bad day. Give Colorado State credit.

But we couldn't make a shot. I think they did a, you know, a good job of being a little bit closer to us than they have in the other games. But I think we missed some shots and the disappointing part is sometimes that happens, but they beat us up in transition and that's not something that should have happened.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for our student-athlete?

Q. I know how much it meant to you guys, this tournament. You guys preached about it really all season long and coming in. Just where's the mindset now in the locker room? How are you guys feeling?

SHAIQUEL MCGRUDER: Well, of course, like losing this game, it hurt. Like, it hurt us all. But the season isn't over yet. We have more games to still -- we have more games to still play, so we're going to take some time, gather ourselves, gather our thoughts, and then come back and finish out what we tried to start.

Q. Murphy was a load tonight down low. Was there anything that she did differently tonight than maybe in the previous games? Because obviously she really took over in the third quarter.

SHAIQUEL MCGRUDER: She is a good player. I give her credit. But nothing was really different. It was just trying to play and think of different strategies to get her from steady going down on the post and I just couldn't get around a way to figure it out.

Q. Obviously zero points in the first half, but what happened in the second to finish with 14? What sort of clicked for you then?

SHAIQUEL MCGRUDER: Got into -- well, not got into trouble but got chewed out because it was like, what are you doing out here? Go be the best player. So, of course I --

MIKE BRADBURY: We call it motivating. Shai calls it that.

SHAIQUEL MCGRUDER: Go -- I was very motivated to go and play.

MIKE BRADBURY: See, much better. (Laughing).

THE MODERATOR: Okay. We thank you. Now we'll take questions for coach.

Q. You went zone. I'm just wondering, were you just trying to change it up? What was the thinking?

MIKE BRADBURY: Well, they had drove it by us and made six consecutive layups and I just wanted, I wanted them to make a different shot. So they did. They made a three. So it was different.

We couldn't guard 'em. I mean, I don't know if it's we couldn't or we wouldn't, but we didn't guard 'em. We threw everything. I mean, we tried to trap them in the half court. We played zone. We played man. I mean, we played everything we got. Couldn't guard 'em.

Q. On the offensive side obviously shots weren't falling. Did they do anything, there were a lot of open shots, but a lot of contested shots. Did you think about, I mean, you are who you are, right, so I guess you could get to this point, what can you do on a night when your shots are falling and do you figure at some point we're going to start making shots? Like, what's your mindset as you're going through it?

MIKE BRADBURY: Well it's different because last night we weren't making threes, so we started attacking the basket. And against that team, against San Diego State, who pressures you and gets up there, you can attack the basket and get on the free-throw line and get in the paint. There are no other shots available when you play Colorado State. I mean they have got two people sitting in the paint, okay? So if the people they're not guarding don't make shots, you can't win.

Now I don't know, I mean, it looks ugly when you don't, clearly, and it did tonight, but, I don't know, I mean, we have beaten them several times in row and unfortunately when you play in the tournament and you lose it seems magnified. But you have to make shots when those are the ones available.

Q. Shai said, We got more games. NIT, is that what you're thinking?

MIKE BRADBURY: Yeah, that's what it will be. I mean, I don't know when we'll find out, but, I mean, we'll play unless something bizarre happens between now and then. But, yeah, I mean we will have that opportunity.